253 BCE
BATTLE OF BAYOU
KYOU POV
Sat on her trusted warhorse, Kyou analysed the battlefield. Her ornate mask was clasped under one arm, and a sheathed sword was at her waist. The majestic Great General of Qin, whose meteoric rise had earned her a fearsome reputation, was stone-faced for a fleeting moment; her eyes had tracked Ouki's troops as he left his headquarters to meet the Zhao vanguard.
However, she couldn't dwell on that as Zhao had come up with a very tricky plan to try and deal with her. "I see, so that is what they're aiming for," Kyou said, looking at the two of Ren Pa's heavenly Kings attacking her Generals, and an onrushing Gyou'un looking to join the fray. In a split second, Kyou decided to leave that battlefield to her Generals; she knew it would be a challenge, but still Kyou backed her Generals.
So instead, the Great General's gaze turned elsewhere; the last reports she'd received had informed her that Ren Pa had not left his headquarters, but every single one of his Four Heavenly Kings were on the battlefield: Kai Shi Bou was facing off against Roku O Mi, while Kyou En faced Rin Bou.
The Generals under Sei Chou had also entered the fray, with Tou and the former Wei Fire Dragon Earl Shi facing one another near where Ouki and Zhao's Sei Chou were. There was also Ryuu Koku of Ouki's army who was fighting Chou Garyuu. To Kyou, it seemed that every General had met their match on this battlefield, and the only people left out were herself and Ren Pa.
Kyou put on her mask, and with 10,000 troops at her back, she set out from her headquarters. Her destination was the battlefield where Rin Bou was fighting; she knew what bringing her force would mean for the Qin soldiers there: it would immediately change the flow of the battle and, like a ripple made in a calm, the waves of her action would spread.
The movement of her troops did not go unnoticed; however, speed was vital in war, and she moved at a blistering pace. Even for her own standards, Kyou was slightly surprised at how quickly her troops had reached Rin Bou, who was being pressured by the archery skills of Kyou En.
*SWISH!*
Kyou tilted her head to the side, quickly evading an arrow aimed at her head. The arrow continued, and she heard a pained shout come from behind her before the person fell to their death. Kyou had long since become accustomed to the suddenness of deaths, so without turning back to acknowledge her dead soldier, she continued forwards towards where the arrow had come from, with her sights on the Zhao flag flapping in the slight wind.
At a distance, she could scarcely make out the Zhao General, but she knew he'd already been readying his second arrow, and it would be more powerful than-
*SWISH!*
Quickly moving her head to the side, Kyou dodged yet another arrow and as if on repeat, the same thing happened. A soldier trailing behind her unfortunately caught the powerful hit, knocking him off his horse with a stifled shout. One of her cavalrymen came to her side. "Great General, this is certainly Kyou En's doing."
Kyou nodded; there was only one person who was so proficient at archery. She knew Kyou En was one of the ten bows of China, and having previously faced him in battle, she knew just how fearsome an opponent he was. '...And should he have grown since then…' Kyou didn't continue the thought, her eyes narrowed, seeing troop movement coming from the corners of her eyes.
'Two to flank while the centre stays solid, an aggressive plan as expected.' Kyou saw through Kyou En's hand; she knew she could've played it safe; however, there was another goal to her being on this part of the battlefield other than saving Rin Bou from being skewered.
"Match formation! One right, one left, overpower them!" The command was simple but effective; her troops followed her order without flaw, and now the two flanks were racing at each other, both sides on a set collision course without one backing down.
Kyou had sent 3,000 to each flank and continued her own charge with 4,000 against the centre of Kyou En's army, which took up a faux defensive formation. Kyou could see that there were cavalry waiting to spring out at a moment's notice. She could feel their bloodlust even without seeing it. 'They want to kill me so much…' Kyou felt her face start to ache slightly, only now starting to notice that she was grinning widely herself.
'This is how it should be…' The Great General, who in another life could've been just another princess in the Kingdom of Qin, felt her blood begin to pump. 'Ahhh, my blade is trembling…' She could feel the cry of exhilaration coming from her sword.
"Old man Shou Bun Kun!" Kyou called out to her most loyal friend, the old man who had gone on countless dangerous missions at her behest. Shou Bun Kun was much older now than he was when she'd first met him, but for what he gave in age, he reaped experience like all of them.
"Take your 100 men and capture Kyou En for me," Kyou said with a smirk, looking directly ahead. She heard Shou Bun Kun click his tongue, but before she could turn towards him and playfully scold him because Kyou En had sent another dangerous arrow. Grabbing hold of Shou Bun Kun's sleeve, she pulled him down harshly.
*SWISH!*
"Gahhh!!"
From behind her mask, Kyou beamed a smile towards Shou Bun Kun. "Saved your life again, old man!" She said, completely amused by the vein on the forehead of Shou Bun Kun. "Hah! I will see to it that I complete the mission you assigned me." Shou Bun Kun scoffed before filtering out of the formation with his troops.
Kyou had maximum trust in Shou Bun Kun's abilities that he would see the task through, but for now she had to deal with the interesting foe. Another arrow came, and this time, though she had dodged, Kyou heard the metal scratch her mask.
It was a close brush with death, but still her mood had not subdued. "You have become more interesting, Kyou En," Kyou said, now seeing the Zhao General coming forward.
"Tell Rin Bou he has command of the infantry! I will go and face Kyou En!" Kyou announced, galloping forward with just her, her sword and horse.
KYOU POV END
3RD PERSON POV
Kyou En knocked another arrow and sat on his horse. He could see what the Kyou army wanted to do: other than facing his two flanks directly, they wanted the two centres to face off and limit his own archery by having a close-quarters battle. As in a close-quarters fight, there was a chance Kyou En could hit his own troops, and if he did, morale would drop, allowing the Kyou army to force them to retreat.
So instead of allowing things to go as Kyou and Rin Bou wanted. There were roughly eighty steps between Kyou and Kyou En, and so the Zhao General sent out a warning shot. The arrow cut through the air and pierced into the Qin soldiers behind Kyou, who were instantly shaken by the power.
"That bastard is getting stronger! Ten…He took out ten people! How can he even be human?!"
"To be able to shoot an arrow with such power and accuracy… It's terrifying!" Two Qin soldiers who had managed to get out of the way of Kyou En's arrow remarked, seeing their fellow Qin soldiers be felled by one arrow.
Still more Qin troops tried to back up Kyou, but Kyou En sent them to the underworld all the same, for this war he had opted for a much heavier bow to generate more power in his shots. The change was devastating and paid off well.
"Fifteen. And still she doesn't take a single step back." Kyou En was slightly impressed, as it seemed Kyou had gotten even better since the last time he had faced her.
"Back off," Kyou En said, drawing another arrow and letting it loose into the Qin soldiers behind Kyou who were trying to gain some ground.
"He's a damned bastard! Everyone is careful; he is attacking again!"
"Those in the middle scatter! Those at the sides maintain formation!"
The commanders in both Kyou and Rin Bou's personal armies had formed into one cohesive troop, and now both were issuing commands, working together. Whilst the flanks fought Kyou's En's flanks for an advantage.
Kyou fearlessly galloped forwards, staring directly at Kyou En. "Fifteenth arrow off mark." She noted, "You have gotten better; how impressive." She continued; a large circle had naturally opened up between her and Kyou En.
Kyou En huffed, showing the toll the new bow had taken on him; still, he readied yet another arrow as he stared down the Qin Great General. He loosed one more arrow into the Qin soldiers, seeing they had tried to gain a few footsteps, even with his full focus on Kyou.
"Go," Kyou said before her horse sprinted towards Kyou En.
"Finally, you're coming too." Kyou En said, drawing his bow.
Seeing Kyou En draw his bow and ready an arrow, Kyou narrowed her eyes. 'Here we go.'
"Kyou is attacking! Troops, get ready to engage!" One of Kyou En's commanders shouted.
*SHOO*
Kyou En's arrow cut through the air at blistering speeds before hitting Kyou's horse, causing the warhorse to jump and thrash its head forward. The momentum of Kyou went with her horse, causing the horse to knock his rider off.
However, in a show of brilliant agility, Kyou leapt from her horse, front flipping and landing on her feet.
However, she was crouched, and Kyou En was already… 'What? How can he be drawing another arrow already?' Quickly, Kyou understood what had happened… 'Another arrow has been fired.' As her horse thrashed about in pain and raised his head, the second arrow fired by Kyou En lodged itself deep into the horse's neck.
The arrow had flown so fast Kyou could not have seen it, causing her to have another realisation. 'He was faking it…' She had been tricked.
"Feint defeat… Now within fifteen steps. Perfect." Kyou En said, his bow strung with another arrow ready to be let loose at a crouched Kyou.
*SHHTTTT*
Kyou En let the arrow go, and Kyou dropped to her knees.
The plume feathers of her helmet caught the brunt of Kyou En's arrow and sheared completely off.
"Missed by a hair!!" The Zhao soldiers under Kyou En, watching the duel, groaned. "Only around 20 steps between the two; surprisingly, Qin's Kyou can survive General Kyou En's arrow range." Another said.
"General, take a few steps back!" One person exclaimed.
"A step back, and all will be for nothing." Kyou En replied, not taking his eyes off Kyou.
"Your strength is faltering." Replied Kyou.
Kyou advanced a step before pausing, watching as Kyou En took out another arrow, she saw only two arrows left in his quiver. With a dart to the side, Kyou rapidly advanced, but Kyou En lined her up in his sight and loosed another arrow, causing her to stop and block with her sword. Kyou's pauldron broke off due to her hastily put up defence.
Still, the Great General of Qin advanced once more on foot without fear, with her sword ready to parry again. She ran forwards trying to close the gap, but the sound of an arrow cutting the air halted her once more.
"One." Said Kyou, deflecting another attack for Kyou En.
There were now ten steps between the two of them. Seeing him so close to her for the first time, Great General Kyou smiled widely and said. "Ten steps, you're in my range." Before swinging her sword with terrifying precision, Kyou En raised his bow to block the attack, but Kyou's sword managed to cut into the wood.
However, Kyou grabbed hold of him and, with a smile, she said, "Get down." Throwing them both back onto the grass, taking away the higher ground of Kyou En. The two went back and forth in sudden close combat, and though Kyou En was managing his own, he couldn't keep pace with Kyou, who was better at hand-to-hand combat.
Yet it was Kyou En who seemed to be smiling more and more, and Kyou couldn't understand why. Until Kyou En said, after managing to dodge a fatal cut that only grazed his skin.
"My Lord is truly a monster." That's when Kyou heard loud cheering, screaming and shouting coming from behind the Zhao soldiers.
3RD PERSON POV END
SHOU BUN KUN POV
As he snuck out of the Qin formation and made his way behind the Zhao troops, they ditched their own flags and took those of Zhao's, blending in just enough to get everyone's attention.
Shou Bun Kun knew the battlefield was chaotic, and in his experience, he knew trickery on the battlefield was second to none. Everyone used a version of trickery, and though it twisted something inside him to do so as well. Shou Bun Kun was not a disloyal subordinate, and to fulfil the command of his Great General, he would compromise his morals. Their once scattered troops had formed up into a 100-man unit; they knew they would need to cause some commotion towards the Kyou En headquarters.
Since that was to draw him to retreat and by that time they would've changed into Zhao armour and perfectly blended in.
However, their plan was thwarted by an unexpected intruder…
He sensed him before he saw him… Shou Bun Kun's head snapped to the side to stare in terror and shock as a wild, battle-hardened aura exploded outwards in a frenzy. He didn't even need to look at the flag to know who it was, as there was only one person who could invoke such intensity among the Zhao commanders.
A warrior was charging directly at him with a massive glaive, teeth bared in a vicious grin that shook Shou Bun Kun to his very core. The younger troops who had been appointed to hold up the Zhao flags while they infiltrated their ranks dropped them in pure fear of the man. And before Shou Bun Kun could think what to do, the man was upon their 100-man unit; his glaive swung in a single powerful strike, and complete devastation was left in his wake.
The Zhao Commander in Chief left his Headquarters, Great Heaven Ren Pa.
SHOU BUN KUN POV END
…
REN PA POV
From the very start of the battle of Bayou, Great Heaven Ren Pa had been watching the Qin Headquarters and Great General Kyou. He was both experienced and smart, so though his body had tingled and demanded he charge into battle when he saw the flags of Ouki charge towards his nephew. In the Great Heaven, Zhao's legendary figure held his hand and waited for the right time, the right place and for the right people to gather.
He saw the right place when the battlefield formations were drawn up initially, and the Qin deployment was relayed to him. He knew it would be Kyou En who would be able to tip the balance; Ouki knew him and his army well. So he'd placed Roku O'mi on Kai Shi Bou, Ryuu Koku on Chou Garyuu, and Rin Bou with Kyou En.
However, Sei Chou had proven too much of a problem and one that Ouki had to deal with personally; Ren Pa had full trust in his nephew that he'd give Ouki a tough time. The next came with Tou, Ouki's right hand and a formidable warrior, but with Shi Ei, the new General that Sei Chou had brought from Wei duelling the man left the Ouki army with their hands full.
Across the board, everyone had their own opponent, and Ren Pa, like Kyou, could see this. So, after Kyou had left her own headquarters, he saw the right time and right place, but he needed the right moment. On instinct, Ren Pa decided to leave his headquarters and head towards the battlefield; his eyes caught something strange, and from his slight vantage point he saw a few people looping around Kyou En's army.
With a grin, Ren Pa ordered his troops to head towards Kyou En with pace. On the way, he met the 100-man unit and recognised the commander as one of Ouki's subordinates; the troops dropped their flags, opening themselves to an all out attack.
After running over them, Ren Pa ordered his troops, "Encirclement." It was all he needed to say to the men who had personally followed him since his first days on the battlefield, or those who had joined up later with only the desire of following him into battle.
Half of his 15,000 enriched the Qin soldiers whilst the other half followed him through the gaps that opened in the centre Zhao formation. Before reinforcing Kyou En's men, galloping directly into the duelling circle, Ren Pa had a wide grin.
"Nuhaha," He laughed.
"I leave it to you now, My Lord." Kyou En replied.
REN PA POV END